Field Report from the World Domination Summit: Online Business, Relationships & Great Workshops

I have followed Chris Guilebeau’s blog and books for years but only attended his conference, the World Domination Summit (WDS) in 2015. When Chis came to Toronto in 2014 to promote his new book The Happiness of Pursuit, I had the chance to meet him (see below) and interview him (How Quests Transform Your Leadership — An Interview with Chris Guillebeau). I was also delighted to receive a Willy Wonka-style “Golden Ticket” to attend the World Domination Summit – a thoughtful touch that I appreciated.

In today’s article, I will share a few of my observations, lessons learned and other notes about my experience. In addition to being a testimonial in favor of WDS, please read this post as a reminder of the benefits of participating in conferences.

Networking Through Meetups

Before the event started, attendees were invited to propose and register for “meetups”: unofficial networking groups for people looking to explore their own interests. I love connecting with people in small groups, so this was a perfect fit for me. There was a great deal of options available and I ended up attending three meetups.

• Online Courses: I hosted this meetup and was delighted with the experience. My approach to hosting the event was informed by reading Mastermind Dinners by Jayson Gaignard. Several of the attendees have continued to stay in touch with me.
• The Live Your Legend Event. During this event, I met Mike Vardy and Charlie Gilkey, productivity experts who have made great contributions.
• Firepole Marketing Event. I have studied with Firepole Marketing for months to help me learn how to build ProjectManagementHacks.com. It was a pleasure to meet some of the Firepole team in person (hi Megan!) and enjoy some Oregon Pinot Noir.

Lesson: Look for small groups, meetups and other events at the next conference you attend. It is an excellent way to deepen relationships, have fun and make the most of the conference experience.

2. Learn Marketing at WDS Academies

As my friend Jennifer Polk recently explained, some people have a tendency to treat conferences like a course: furiously take notes, study and avoid socializing. That’s a tendency I sympathize with and put to full use in attending the WDS Academies (i.e. three hour workshops dedicated to specific topics).

On the Thursday of the conference, I participated in two academies that connect with my goal of building ProjectManagementHacks.com into a business.

• Location Rebel with Sean Ogle.
• The Art of Becoming Known with Jonathan Fields.

The Location Rebel Academy is based on the idea of building an online business that you can run from anywhere in the world. I found the program that Sean laid out – earning money through freelance services before transitioning to a passion business – a good idea. A highlight of his Academy was bringing in several people who presented case studies on their ideas and how they have built their own online business. I also admire Sean for publishing his bucket list (and I’m impressed at how many of the activities he has already completed). In Sean Ogle’s event, I was the first person on stage to ask a question. Unintentionally, this meant that a number of other people knew about me and introduced themselves later in the conference.

Jonathan Field’s academy explores the art and science of crafting a clear brand or marketing message for one’s company. I found the marketing message templates he provided (e.g. “I help [TYPE of PEOPLE] overcome [PROBLEM] despite [OBSTACLE]”). It was also great to take notes during the extended question and answer session at the end of the academy. Of course, it was also a pleasure to briefly chat with Jonathan at the end of the event.

3. Discover Portland

 

Image Credit: Official WDS 2015 Photos on Flickr.

Prior to the World Domination Summit, I had never visited Portland, Oregon. I very much enjoyed the idea of exploring a new city and playing the part of the tourist. Based on recommendations from several people, I made Powell’s – Portland’s famous independent bookstore – my first stop. I also enjoyed several meals at Portland’s food trucks (I most enjoyed a vegetarian Indian food truck) and one donut at Voodoo Donuts. Here are a few of the highlights from my exploration of Portland.

• Powell’s City of Books. One of the best book stores I have ever visited in the world! Wow! I ended up visiting Powell’s several times, sometimes simply to relax in the café at the flagship location (over 1 million books on site, according to their website) at 1005 W Burnside St. A serious reader and lifelong learner simply must explore Powell’s during a trip to Portland.

 

• Exploring The City Through Runs. Years ago, I never would have brought workout clothes on a conference trip. In my 30s, I’m more interested in keeping up a steady stream of fitness. During my two runs through Portland, I enjoyed exploring the city and the waterfront. It was fun to meet Jim Hopkinson of com during the Friday morning fun run with about 20-30 people at the conference.

 

• Portland River Cruise. On the Saturday evening of the event, I enjoyed taking a cruise through the Willamette River. It was fun to meet such a variety of people working on different goals. Some people are building software companies, others are working on charitable projects and others are giving thought to the next stage of their lives.

 

• Oregon Historical Society. As a long time student of history, I enjoyed visited the Oregon Historical Society. I found it fascinating to see all the parallels between Oregon’s history and Canadian history (e.g. the key role of the fur trade and the long history of mistreating visible minorities). Of particular note was the Second World War special exhibition. There were original letters from soldiers, one of General Patton’s revolvers, a map used by the Enola Gay bomber in 1945 and more.

4. Notes from Main Stage Events

During Saturday and Sunday, the main stage events of the World Domination Summit unfolded at the the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Here are three speakers that I find most interesting and relevant to my interests.

• Jon Acuff. As the opening keynote, I had high expectations for Acuff and he delivered. He spoke about finding one’s voice and other inspirational topics. I bought one of his books and have it on my steadily growing to-read list. His proposal for DO Summer 2015 aligns well with my recent series on summer projects (read: Why You Need To Start A Summer Project).

• Jeremy Cowart. Have you ever been blown away by a presentation’s visuals? Cowart delivered a stunning presentation that told his story and how he learned photography. In addition to his considerable professional accomplishments, I’m impressed by Cowart’s work in developing countries. The Voices of Reconciliation in Rwanda (“love is a weapon to destroy evil”) is a testament to the power of forgiveness, I’ve never seen anything quite like it.

• Derek Sivers. As the closing keynote address, I found Derek Sivers was an excellent speaker. He told the story of his company, CD Baby which was sold for over $20 million. Overall, he made a great point that original ideas, on their own, are not enough. Success takes a combination of ideas and execution: in fact, outstanding execution can multiply a medium quality idea.

• The Creative Live Gift Card. The World Domination Summit has a history of surprises (e.g. the $100 investment – giving $100 cash to every attendee to start something remarkable). This year, the organizers made a generous decision to give every single attendee a $150 gift card for Creative Live. As some of you may know, Creative Live is a producer of high quality video courses. I used my gift card to purchase the Launching an Online Business with Lewis Howes courses.

5. Notes from Monday WDS Academies

I stayed an extra day in Portland in order to attend the Monday Academies. It was well worth the effort and time. As an added benefit, the Monday Academies I attended were smaller (i.e. around 100 people each vs the 300+ on the Thursday Academies) which meant more interaction with the presenters and other attendees.

• How To Take Action After WDS by Pamela Slim and Rob Young.

What a great workshop in concept and execution. Many people make the mistake of attending a conference, absorb new ideas and experiences and then never act on the information. This workshop provided a workshop, great discussions and a roadmap to work on our goals. I went into the workshop with a firm idea of a specific 2015 goal for ProjectManagementHacks.com. As a result, I have firm ideas on what to work on next.

• People Skills for Business by Vanessa Van Edwards.

 Wow! This was an incredible workshop covering a variety of topics related to body language, conversation and related skills. At times, I felt somewhat overwhelmed by the depth of Vanessa’s material. Two of her recent blog posts will give a sense for what she can provide:

Body Language of Leaders: Harvey Specter (as a fan of SUITS, I liked that post!) and 7 Days to a Better First Impression. I have more work ahead of me to review Vanessa’s material and make the most of it.

6. Book Report

Anyone who knows me well knows that I love books. I brought books with me to read at WDS and ended up buying several while in Portland. As this post is already quite long, I will share just a few highlights:

Books Read

• The Beam Season 1 by Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant. An outstanding science fiction novel set in 2097 – a world filled with sharp class distinctions where the wealthy benefit from nanobots and the world outside the North American Union is called the Wild East.

• Red, White and Drunk All Over by Natalie McLean. An excellent book all about wine. What I loved most about the book was the friendly tone and the breadth of coverage – wineries, wine retailing, and much more.

•  Anything You Want by Derek Sivers. I bought and read this book in 24 hours after seeing Derek speak (and the book inspired me to write an article at CIO.com: 5 best practices for on-time innovation)

• The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris. I have long been interested in Roosevelt and I’m still working my way through this fantastic Pulitzer winning biography.

Books Purchased (at Powell’s and the WDS Bookstore)

• Plutarch’s Lives (Volume 1 and 2). A collection of short biographies about the ancient Romans and Greeks. I have long been fascinated with the ancient world and look forward to diving into these books.

• The End of Eternity by Issac Asimov. A novel by Asimov about time travel? That’s all I need to hear.

• Body of Work by Pamela Slim. A book about how to build a career given our world’s changing business landscape.

• Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain. An excellent book that I finished reading this week. Among other points, Cain presents evidence about the ills of open plan offices. To get a sense of her ideas, watch her excellent TED Talk: The Power of Introverts.

For fun, let’s end with a photo of the Darth Vader Bagpiper (aka The Unipiper) who made an appearance during WDS: